Battle of Xu Province (199)

The Battle of Xu Province occurred in 199 AD when the armies of Liu Bei and Cao Cao destroyed Yuan Shu's army as it marched through Xu Province in an attempt to join forces with Yuan Shao in the north. Yuan Shu's defeat in Xu Province finished him off, as he retreated to Shouchun and died of illness there shortly after.

Background
In 197 AD, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Lu Bu, and Sun Ce formed a coalition to defeat the imperial pretender Yuan Shu, taking his capital of Shouchun and forcing Yuan Shu to flee south of the Huai River with the remnants of his army. Yuan Shu was in no shape to resume his war with the coalition for two years, and Cao Cao and Liu Bei took this opportunity to vanquish Lu Bu at the Battle of Xiapi in 198-199 and restore Xu Province to Liu Bei's full control. In 199 AD, Yuan Shu's half-brother Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan at the Battle of Jieqiao and became the ultimate ruler of northern China. Yuan Shu was so arrogant and cruel that his people turned against him, with even his generals Lei Bo and Chen Lan deserting him. Yuan Shu decided to yield his claim to the title of Emperor to his half-brother and bring him the Imperial Jade Seal in exchange for his hospitality in the north, and Man Chong warned Cao Cao and Liu Bei that his doing so would adjoin their territories and make him a great threat to them. Liu Bei, who was anxious to leave Xuchang due to his secret involvement in Dong Cheng's conspiracy against Cao Cao, received permission to deal with Yuan Shu before he could reach Yuan Shao. Cao Cao gave Liu Bei command of 50,000 horse and foot and sent generals Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao with him. Immediately after Cao Cao sent Liu Bei out with an army, his advisors Guo Jia and Cheng Yu warned him that, even if he continued to refuse to put Liu Bei to death (which they had advised years before), he should not let him have command of an army outside of the capital, lest he rebel. Cao Cao agreed and sent out Xu Chu with 500 horsemen to bring Liu Bei back, but Liu Bei told Xu Chu that, once a general had set out on a mission, even a royal command could not turn him back. Xu Chu decided that Cao Cao, as a friend of Liu Bei, would not want the latter dead, so he decided to let Liu Bei continue his march. Cheng Yu and Guo Jia warned Cao Cao that this defiance meant enmity, but Cao Cao said that Liu Bei would not betray him while two of his generals were with him, and told them that he could not reverse his own orders.

Battle
Liu Bei was greeted by Deputy Imperial Protector Che Zhou on his return to Xu Province before sending out scouts to spy on Yuan Shu. They reported that he was marching west with his Palace fittings and the remnants of his army, so Liu Bei led 50,000 troops to attack Yuan Shu as he marched past Xuzhou. Yuan Shu sent out his general Ji Ling to force a way through Liu Bei's army, but he was slain by Zhang Fei, and Yuan Shu's troops fled in all directions. Yuan Shu himself then arrived on the battlefield, and Liu Bei withdrew as the wings of his army closed in on both of Yuan Shu's flanks, smiting his army until corpses littered the plains and blood flowed in streams. Lei Bo and Chen Lan, Yuan Shu's former generals, arrived from Mount Song and pillaged Yuan Shu's baggage train, completing the destruction of his army.

Aftermath
Lei Bo and Chen Lan prevented Yuan Shu from retreating to Shouchun, so Yuan Shu and his remaining 1,000 exhausted troops took shelter in Jiangling. The 30 remaining carts of wheat went directly to the soldiers, so many of Yuan Shu's household members died of starvation. Yuan Shu was unable to consume the coarse food which his soldiers ate, so he asked his cook for honeyed water. When the cook responded that the only water remaining was tainted with blood, Yuan Shu rolled onto the floor and died of tuberculosis. His nephew Yuan Yin took his coffin, wife, and children to Lujiang, where the magistrate Xu Liu slew all of the survivors. He also took the Imperial Jade Seal to Cao Cao, who made him Governor of Gaoling in gratitude. Liu Bei then remained in Xu Province, while Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao returned to the capital. Cao Cao decided to instruct Che Zhou to murder Liu Bei, having been angered at Liu Bei's refusal to return to Xuchang, leading to Che Zhou's death and Liu Bei's revolt.